Feb. 28, 2014

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Are you smarter than a PSD student?

Answer these sample questions from the Colorado Measures of Academic Success science test and find out. Visit www.facebook.com/coloradoan on Saturday morning for the answers, and tell us how you did. Question 1 (fourth-grade level)Students are discussing whether their school should start a recycling program. Student 1: “Our natural resources need to be preserved.” Student 2: “Our city needs to decrease spending.” Student 3: “Our community needs to reduce pollution.” Student 4: “Our neighborhood needs to build better roads.” Which students are in favor of the school starting the recycling program? • A. Students 1 and 4 • B. Students 2 and 3 • C. Students 1 and 3 • D. Students 2 and 4 Question 2 (fifth-grade level)A student makes a mixture of pepper, salt and water. What properties of matter will allow the student to separate this mixture using filter paper and a hot plate? • A. grain size and magnetism • B. magnetism and temperature • C. grain size and ability to dissolve • D. temperature and ability to dissolve Question 3 (eighth-grade level)Two rabbits with brown fur produce offspring. Some offspring have brown fur while others have white fur. Based on the fur colors of the offspring, what are the genotypes of the parents? • A. both are heterozygous • B. both are homozygous recessive • C. homozygous dominant and heterozygous • D. homozygous recessive and homozygous dominant Sample questions are from www.pearsonaccess.com.

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Sharpen those No. 2 pencils, get a good night’s sleep and rev that cranial engine: State standardized testing season is here again for students across the state.

These marathon testing sessions come around like clockwork, so it’s easy to think things stay the same year to year. But changes in the educational world mean things will soon look different for students across all grade levels in Poudre School District.

With the bulk of PSD’s 28,000 students set to prove what they’ve learned in the past year, some will take new tests as the district transitions to computer-based measurements of pupil performance.

The scores students post will help reveal where the traditionally high-performing public school district continues to excel and where more efforts are needed. Here are the things PSD’s top testing officials told the Coloradoan every parent should know about test time.

Question: When will students start taking the state-mandated Transitional Colorado Assessment Program, or TCAP, tests?

Answer: PSD third-graders will be tested in reading first. Testing started Monday and continues through Friday. The big TCAP push, when students in grades 4-10 are tested in reading, writing and mathematics, begins March 10. Schools have until April 4 to finish. PSD’s Spring Break is scheduled for the week of March 17.

Q: Why doesn’t testing occur at the same time in all elementary, middle and high schools?

A: In PSD, principals are allowed to pick when they will test students as long as they do so within the three-week testing window. Some schools may opt to complete testing back-to-back during the course of a couple days, while others may spread testing sessions out. The more students, the more logistical challenges.

Here’s the caveat: If McGraw Elementary fourth-graders were slated for math testing from 8-9 a.m. one day, all fourth-graders in the school would have to participate during that time. The rule exists to prevent sharing of answers.

Q: Why are the assessments important?

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A: State standardized tests are one body of evidence that show how well students are mastering what they’re being taught. While not the only success indicator, PSD’s assessment coordinator Johan van Nieuwenhuizen said scores help schools identify strengths and weaknesses in the curriculum and help show how PSD’s students compare to one another and state peers.

“Otherwise, we just operate in silos, and we don’t know if what we’re doing is good enough,” he said.

Q: Are there any changes to TCAP I should be aware of as a student or parent?

A: “Everything is exactly the same as before, in terms of format, time-frame and scheduling,” van Nieuwenhuizen said.

But one particular item of note is that the TCAPs won’t test students’ science prowess. In fact, this spring marks the last time students will sit for the TCAPs.

This April 14 to May 2, fifth- and eighth-graders will take the new Colorado-developed science assessment called Colorado Measures of Academic Success, or CMAS. Fourth- and seventh-graders will sit for a CMAS social studies test during the same timeframe. CMAS testing of high school seniors in social studies and science happens in November.

Fast forward to spring 2015, when students will take the first round of new tests assessing math and language arts. These were developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC.

Q: I’ve heard that means no more pencil-and-paper tests?

A: You heard right. The CMAS and PARCC tests will be administered online in a format that proponents say allows for more engaging testing of higher-level thinking skills by asking students to answer a variety of questions, show their work and explain their reasoning.

PSD’s Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Robert Beauchamp has said previously that testing should take “approximately the same time” as it took to administer TCAPs in grades 3-10. The biggest time change will be in 11th and 12th grades, for which there aren’t currently state standardized tests.

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Students will have 80 minutes to complete CMAS tests online, but most finish in about 55 minutes. This provides a buffer for students who may struggle with the computer format — a point of concern for some.

PSD students this fall took part in a statewide trial run of the online testing model. “Most” responses from more than 45,000 students who gave feedback were positive, van Nieuwenhuizen said, because “students really know the online environment.”

Students from 13 PSD schools will participate in PARCC field testing in April and May. Don Begin, director of information technology for the district, told Board of Education members earlier this year he’s confident PSD has the necessary technology for all students being tested.

This isn’t the case in all of Colorado’s more than 180 public school districts.

PSD is in a technologically sound place thanks to voter approval of a mill levy override and bond fund in 2010, van Nieuwenhuizen said. A portion of the building fund paid for netbooks and other technology aimed at improving learning opportunities for students.

Q: I’ve heard the questions on CMAS and PARCC look different than on the TCAP?

A: That is true. While multiple-choice questions won’t go away, some testing sessions will engage students more now than ever before, some educators say.

For example, students of the past may have been given a math problem and asked to select the correct answer among five options. Now, they may be asked to put themselves in a real-life situation: Imagine you are working at a restaurant and are asked by your manager to recommend to customers the best taxi service.

Students may be given three options to choose from with associated data spreads. They must then use calculations to decide which company will provide the quickest service for the best fee.

Some components of the new assessments require students to listen to prompts via headphones and respond using a microphone.

The science and social studies CMAS sample tests are now available online at www.pearsonaccess.com. Beauchamp said PSD has been training teachers in grades four, five, seven and eight using the site, and encouraged parents and students to take a look ahead of time.

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Q: I’ve heard the online system will collect biometric data about my child.

A: PSD leaders, and those from the Colorado Department of Education, say that’s not true. As it’s always been done, students will share their first/last name, state identification number and information such as their ethnicity, special needs or whether they qualify for free-and-reduced meals.

Some parents have expressed concern that such data may be shared with colleges down the road. Beauchamp said no such data is being shared. CDE is exploring the possibility of sharing PARCC scores — like ACT scores — with colleges in the future but said nothing is set in stone.

Q: What happens if my child gets sick during TCAP or CMAS testing?

A: There are two scenarios. The first: If children don’t feel well during a testing session, they can stop, seek medical help and come back when they’re ready. They then have however much time remained when they stopped. If a student is sick before a testing session — say they’re out with a cold for an entire day — parents should coordinate with the principal to schedule time for the student to sit for a make-up session.

Schools are asked to schedule testing blocks near the start of the three-week window so there is ample time for make-up sessions. Schools that don’t have 95 percent of students participate automatically drop one tier in the state’s annual rating assessment, which is ultimately tied to accreditation.

Q: How can I help my student succeed?

A: Parents should help their kids get enough rest, eat properly — which means not forgetting to eat a balanced breakfast — and encourage students to do their best in school at all times, not just during assessments. At the end of the day, van Nieuwenhuizen said students who have been working hard in school should be prepared for what they will see on the tests.